The Great Georgia

Pollinator Census August 23rd & 24th, 2019

Insect Counting & Identification Guide

Thank you for being part of Georgia pollinator history by helping us document our pollinator populations. The Great Georgia Pollinator Census takes place on August 23rd and 24th, 2019. Here are your counting instructions.

Counting instructions:

Choose a favorite pollinator plant for counting. This can be any blooming plant that shows insect activity.

Count and categorize the insects that land on your plant. Count for 15 minutes. The insect categories are:

o Bumble Beeso Honey Beeso Small Beeso Carpenter Beeso Waspso Flieso Butterflies/Mothso Other insects

There is an insect counting sheet at the end of this booklet to make counting easier for you.

Upload your counts on the website (https://GGaPC.org). (We do not have the ability to accept mailed paper forms)

Post photos of your counters having fun, photos of your gardens, or anything you think would be of interest to the group on the Georgia Pollinator Census Facebook page.

Becky Griffin is the project coordinator and is available through email at beckygri@uga.edu if you have any questions.

Counting hint: Your cell phone camera makes a great magnifier.

The next pages are examples of the insects that you may see. Use these as your guides.

Have questions about counting? Contact Becky Griffin at beckygri@uga.edu.

Carpenter Bee

Carpenter Bee – Hairless Abdomen

Carpenter Bees(16 – 22 mm)

Black body with yellow and black bands

Dense hair on head and thorax

NO HAIR on abdomen Broad head, thick

body Males have yellow to

white coloring on face, females all black on face

Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee – Hairy Abdomen

Carpenter Bee with a Bumble BeePhoto credit: Bodie Pennisi, UGA Extension

Bumble Bees(10 – 19 mm)

Black body covered with dense yellow and black hair

Fat bee with small head Large thorax and

abdomen Hairy abdomen

This photo illustrates the

differences between the

carpenter bee and a bumble bee. The carpenter bee is a “mack truck” while the bumble bee is more of a “pickup

truck.”

Honey Bee

Bumble Bee and Honey Bee

Honey Bees(12 – 15 mm)

Brown or black stripes on body

Golden-brown hair covers abdomen

This photo shows a honey bee and a

bumble bee together. The two

are easily distinguishable.

Sweat bee Photo credit: Joseph Berger, bugwood.org

Leafcutter beePhoto credit: David Cappaert, bugwood.org

Small Bees(Any bee smaller than

a honey bee)Can include:

Leafcutter Bees Sweat Bees And others Note: Keep a

lookout for the metallic shine of the sweat bees from the family Halictidae. Even though these bees can be small, the metallic color is easy to spot when the sun is shining on them.

Notice the dark striped abdomen of the leafcutter bee. Remember if you can get a glimpse of the underside of the abdomen, the bee will carry the pollen there on the hairy scopa.

Small bee

Small bee

Small bee

Potter Wasp

Paper Wasp

Yellow JacketPhoto Credit – Jon Yuschock, Bugwood.org

Wasps(13 - 25 mm)Can include:

Potter Wasps Paper Wasps And others

These are generally hairless.Note: Yellow jackets are not often seen on flowers.

Fly

Tachinid Fly

Flies(6 – 13 mm)

Have two wings instead of the four wings on bees and wasps

Eyes are large and take up most of the face

Small antenna

Note: Some flies are bee mimics. They have bee-like coloring and will visit flowers. The large eyes and small antenna will confirm you see a fly.

Syrphid Fly (Bee mim

ic)Photo credit: W

ashington State U

niv StateUniversity

Skipper Butterfly

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Butterflies and Moths

Can include: Skippers Gulf Fritillaries Monarchs Swallowtails Tuliptree Moth And others

Syrphid Fly (Bee mim

ic)Photo credit: W

ashington State

Univ StateUniversity

Monarch Butterfly

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail ButterflyPhoto by Alan Emery on Unsplash

Lady BeetlePhoto credit: M. E. Bartolo, Bugwood.org

DragonflyPhoto credit: Millard Griffin

LacewingPhoto credit: Eddie McGriff, UGA, Bugwood.org

Other InsectsCan include:

Beetles Dragonflies Lacewings And others

Great Georgia Pollinator Census Observation Sheet

Name of participant: ____________________ Email: _______________________

Address of Garden (for mapping): ___________________________ County_______________

Would you consider your garden small (< ¼ of an acre) medium (>1/4 of an acre but < 1 acre) or large (>1 acre)

Date: Aug 23 Aug 24

Time of count start: _________

Temperature: ____ °F

Weather conditions: Sunny Partly Cloudy Cloudy Rainy

Is there a honey beekeeper within 5 miles of your garden? Yes No Don’t Know

Name of pollinator plant used for counting. Please give common name and Latin name if you have it: _____________________

Counting Data:Type of Insect NumbersCarpenter Bees

Bumble Bees

Honey Bees

Small BeesWasps

Flies

Butterflies/Moths

Other Insects

Visit https://GGaPC.org to upload your counts to the website. Thank you for being part of Georgia pollinator history!